Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-06-04
wr@ a.
0 Ayo9s
by II. RIDER fiAG6ARD,
Euth0roI 'Nns Sol0motsaureS s5hs.Ets.
;C0NTINUED.l
CHAPTER XIII.

FRANK MULLER SHOWS HIS HAND.
Presently Muller turned round. do you
know why have told you this, On Silas!'
he asked
"No.-
Because | want you 10 understand that
YOU and all the EngliShnen in this country
are in very dangerous position. The war
is coming, and whether it goes for you
or against you, you must suffer You
Englishmen have many enemies You have
got all the trade and own nearly half the
land, and you are always standing up for the
black people, whom the Beers hate. It will
go hard with you if there is war. You will
be shot and your houses will be burned, and
If you lose the day, those who escape will be
driven out of the country 1t will be the
| Transvaal for the Trnnsvaalers, then, and
Africa for the Africanders"
'Well, Frank Muller, and if all this should
come to pass, what of it? What are you
| driving at, Frank Muller9 You don't show
ME your band like this for nothing"
The Boer laughed. "Of course | don't, ON
Stlas, Well. if you want TO know, will tell
YOU whnt mean | mean, that alone can
protect you and Your place and people in the
tlii'o tbiD tNiiiiiis-s nave HlbTt III
| fiuence in the land than you know Of Per
haps even, l could stave off the war, and if
| it suited me to do 50 l would do it, At the
least | could keep you from being harmed.
that know. But have my price, Om Slas,
rs we all have, and it must be money down
| and no credit"
g! don't understand you and your dark say
lugs, said the Old man. coldly. Il am a
| straightforward man, and if YOU viii tell mt
what you mean will give You my answer; If
not. don't SEE the good of our going ON tall,
| ing
Very well; ] will TED }ou What mean
mean Bessie mean that love your niece
| and want to marry her-ay, mean to marry
Der by fair means or fnul-and that she will
have nothing to say to me-
| And what have to do with that. Frank
Muller! Tho girl is her own mistress. can
not dispose of her in marriage, even If
! wanted to, as though She were a colt or an ON
You must plead your own suit and take vonl
| own answer
Il have pleaded my slut and have got III,
answer" answered the Bocr, with passion
| Don't You understand She will have nnthin.
to say to me- She is IN love with the d,
| Nlti, whom YOU nave brought lI
here. She is in love with him, say, and vii
| not look at me-
All" replied Silas Croft, calmly, sis tha
So? Then she shows very good taste, fol
John Mel is an honest man, Frank Muller
and Won are not Listen to me- he went on
with sudden outlurSt of passion, II tel
you that you are a dishonorahlo man and {
villain. | tell YOU that YOU murdered tn,
fiottentot ,iantle3s father, mother and uucl,
in cold blood when you Were yet lad
tell you that the other day you tried to mur
der John Mel, pretending to mistake him fo
buck! And now you, who petitloned TO
this country to he taken over by the queen
and have gone round singing out your loyal
ty at the top of your voice. come and tell III
that you are plotting to bring about an ilsur
rection and to plunge the land into war, an,
;tsk me for Bessie as the price of your pro
lection! And now will tell You somcthin.
IN answer, Frank Muller ." and the old mai
rose up, his Keen eyes flashing in wrath, an,
Strengthening his bent frame, pointed towarC
the door. 'Go out OF that door and neve
come through Ii again. l rely upon God ant
the English nation to protect me, and not OF
such as you, and would rather see my ,dea
Bessie dead III her coffin than married to
knaye and traitor and a murderer Xix
Frank Muller Coz
The Boer turned white with fury as Ii
listened. Twice he tried to speak and failed
and when the words did come they were S,
choked and laden with passion as to b
scarcely audible When thwarted he wa
liable to these accesse' of rage, and they
iiguratively speaking, spoiled his character
Could he have kept his head, he would havt
been perfect and triumphant villain; but a
1t was, the carefully planned and audaciou
rascality of years was always apt to be swep
away by the sudden gale of his furious passion
1t was in such an outburst of rage that h
had assaulted john i'll the inu yard at Wax
Restroom and thereby put him on his guar
against him and now it mastered him ono
more.
Very we'll Siias Croft, he said at last, "
will go; but mark this, l will come buck, an
when come it shall be with men armed wit
rifles. will burn this pretty place of YOUR
that you are SO proud Of, over your head, an
| will kill YOU and your friend the EngIiSl
man, and take Bessie away, and very 500
She will be glad enough to marry Fran
Muller; but then l will not marry her-nc
not if she goes on her knees to me-and sll
shall so on her knees often enough. We wi
theH see what God and the English nation wi
do to protect You God and the English III
tom Call on the sheep and the horses; Ca
on the rocks and tine trees, and YOU will get
better answer
"liom Numbered the oil man. "or by tn
God you blasiirma ! viii put q bullc
through YOU auI he reached toward n riff
that hung over the nantcipiece, ~or my Kat
frs shall whip yon oir tue place"
Frank Muller waited for no more. IL
turned and went. 1t was dark now, bu
there was still some light in the sky at the en-,
of the blue gum avenue and as he rode ava
against it he made ont Bessc's tall and grace
full form softly outlined upon the darkenin,
night. John had left her to see about som
pressing matter connected with the farm
and there she stood, filled with the great jo'
of a woman who has found her love, anr
| loath rs yet to break its spell by entcrin;
again into the daily round Of common life
There she stood, type and symbol of al
| that is beautiful and gracious in this rough
world, the loyelSht shining in her blue eye
aud thoughts of happy gratitude to the Give
of all good rising from her heart to heaven
drawn up thither, as it were, Ivy the warrhtl
of her pure passion, as the dew inStS of TIN
| morning are drawn upward by the sun.
| Presently she heard the horses hoofS, an'
looked up, SO that the faint light fell full
upon her face, idealzing it and making it
passion breathing beauty seem moro of beaver
| than of earth. There was some look upon il
some indeiinablc light that day such is tn
power that love has to infuse all human thing
| with the tint of his own splendor-ttat i
went even TO the heart of the wild and eyi
man who adored her with the deep aud savag,
| force of his dark nature. For a moment In
| paused, half regretful half afraid. Was j